


slow motion, double vision

by grantairemrys



Series: the evermore 'verse [3]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M, Modern AU, Songfic, does this count as a meet-cute, i love arwen so much wtf my parents, thank u taylor swift as always, this was just an opportunity for me to wax poetic abt gwen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 12:20:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28956363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grantairemrys/pseuds/grantairemrys
Summary: Arthur has always thought Uther's dinner parties were dull. Then he sees her.
Relationships: Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: the evermore 'verse [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2104599
Comments: 17
Kudos: 31





	slow motion, double vision

**Author's Note:**

> WOOHOOO FINALLY I'VE WRITTEN AN ARWEN FICLET!!! they're my bbc merlin otp and i love them and their love so much. i just hope i do them justice w this one :') gold rush is a reaaally good song too. everyone say thank you miss swift
> 
> i don't own bbc merlin, its characters, and arwen. rather, they own me :D
> 
> alright here we goooooo

If there was anything worth noting about Uther Pendragon's dinner parties, it was that they were utterly mind-numbing.

Tonight is no exception.

Arthur spares no glances at the lavish decorations or at the bejewelled guests sweeping into the foyer of their family home. He keeps his gaze resolutely on the bottom of his champagne flute or at the buffet table, which Merlin would undoubtedtly tease him for, the idiot.

But Merlin isn't there for this particular dinner, and everything is much more boring. Atleast he's done a marvellous job at dodging his father, which he counts as the biggest win of the eveni–

"Arthur!"

Arthur freezes in the corner he's christened his new hiding place. Great.

To his relief, it's not his father. To his chagrin, it's Morgana, stalking towards him like a woman on a mission.

"There you are." Morgana comes to a stop in front of him, a vision in purple silk and red lipstick. One of the highlights of his night was seeing Uther have a conniption over the cut of her gown's neckline. Even now he sees scandalized looks thrown her way– which, knowing his sister, would tickle her pink.

Arthur smiles thinly at her. "Harpy," he says in a faux-polite tone. "Enjoying the party?"

Surprisingly, Morgana doesn't take the bait. Instead, she beams widely at him, which frankly terrifies Arthur. Morgana only ever smiles when she's got a nefarious plan up her sleeve, and most of her nefarious plans involve wreaking havoc in Arthur's life.

"I've got someone I'd like you to meet," she says, looking not unlike an excited puppy. "You'll get along great! Wait, where is sh–" Morgana looks around and starts to wave, her face lighting up. "There you are!"

Arthur looks in the direction she's waving at and for the second time that evening, he freezes. The first thing he registers about the woman walking towards them is that her dark curly hair falls into place like dominoes. Then he registers the rest of her.

She's lovely, the wine red of her dress complementing her dark skin beautifully. Her smile's warm and radiant as she sees Morgana, and she carries herself across the room to them like a queen. There's no better word to describe her presence– she glows. If Morgana earlier was a vision, this woman is a revelation.

_".......A revelation. Really, Arthur."_

_Arthur cracks up as she looks at him, an unimpressed look on her face. "Not exaggerating," he defends, arms up in surrender. "You did look stunning that night, sweetheart."_

_She still looks unimpressed, but it's undermined by the growing blush on her face. Arthur chuckles as he leans forward to kiss her forehead and she hums contentedly, shifting in her place on his lap. They have a perfectly-sized sofa, but they both prefer the loveseat for this reason. "I owe Morgana one..." she trails off, absentmindedly running a hand through his hair. "Me too," he nods, "I never got to thank her for introducing us. Actually never mind, she'd be insufferable about it."_

_She laughs, a full-bellied thing that gives Arthur butterflies. She looks absolutely beautiful like this: face alight with mirth, hair half-up half-down, and wearing one of Arthur's old varsity shirts. "You two, I swear to God. We'll atleast send her a gift basket, then?"_

_"Anything you want to, dear." Arthur murmurs, eyes already half-closed as her fingers gently massage his scalp. He loves the weight of her on his lap, loves that he can hear her breathing. The scent of her hair wafts up his nose– the same cucumber shampoo he uses._

_"Arthur?"_

_"Mhm?"_

"Arthur!"

Arthur snaps out of his momentary daydream to see Morgana and the woman staring at him. To his horror, he feels heat rising to his face.

"Mh– Oh, shi– I, um. You were saying?"

"Are you alright, Arthur?" asks Morgana, concern in her voice but an annoyingly knowing glint in her eyes. "You looked kinda out of it for a moment."

"Y-yeah. I'm fine." God forbid Morgana find out what was on his mind a moment before, but considering the look on her face Arthur was probably good as dead.

"You sure?" asks the mystery woman.

"Yeah, I'm alright, thank you." He replies, feeling his heartbeat triple in time.

"So, darling," Morgana mercifully picks up the conversation again, and gestures to Arthur. "As I was saying, this is my buffoon of a brother."

Ignoring the jab, Arthur turns to the lady and hopes his face looks more human than tomato. "Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Arthur." She holds her hand out for a handshake, but Arthur takes the chance and kisses it. He's rewarded with a soft laugh. Her brown eyes look like molten gold and they twinkle as she looks at him.

"Charmed. I'm Guinevere, but you can call me Gwen."

**Author's Note:**

> shoutout to zara, who read the first draft of this and promptly freaked the fuck out. ur amazeballs child i adore u
> 
> kudos + comments would be real cool of yall <33


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